Dance with me
by Mitzuki
Summary: It's almost the end of their senior year, and a senior's prom is sure to be following. Shy Tohru is unsure of her request to ask Kyo to the dance, will he turn her down or surprise her by accepting her offer?
1. Chapter 1

Mitzuki: Well, a fanfiction about the Sohmas after the curse had been broken…

Hiro: (dripping with with sarcasm) Oh WOW! How AMAZING!

Mitzuki: …DON'T YOU SARCASS ME!!!!

Hiro: (looks innocent) Now why would you think that?

Mitzuki: (sighs) I don't own Fruits Basket, but please enjoy anyways…

Hiro: (snickers)

Mitzuki: (boots him out the door)

_The curse had been lifted…_

_but will the Sohmas_

_accept the freedom they've been given?_

**Chapter 1**

"Tohru! Hey, Tohru!"

Honda Tohru turned around to see her two best friends, Uotani Arisa and Hanajima Saki, hurrying towards her.

"Uo-chan! Hana-chan!" she smiled, slowing her pace to let them catch up. Uotani ran up, waving a piece of paper. Hanajima strolled slowly behind, but quickened her pace when she saw Tohru.

"How are you feeling, Tohru?" Uotani peered at her worriedly, drawing her into a hug. Hanajima lay her hand on Tohru's shoulder, also giving her a small hug.

"I'm fine, thank you," Tohru reassured them, "my cold is gone and my back healed better than Hatori-san thought it would."

Hanajima smiled, then took the paper from Uotani and handed it to the brunette.

"It's the senior prom," she said in her soft yet eerily creepy voice, "we're all supposed to come with a date."

Her eyes glinted at the word 'date' and Uotani's eyes danced with laughter. The blonde teased her friend playfully about Kazuma-san, the latter returning her mockery calmly with the mention of a certain Kureno, until they noticed that Tohru had not made a single noise. She simply stared blankly at the paper, unaware of the concerned looks from her friends.

Hanajima nudged her.

"Tohru-kun?"

Tohru suddenly snapped out of her trance and looked wildly from one friend to the other.

"H-hai?" she stuttered, her words ending in a slight squeak as she noticed the suspicious glances that her two friends exchanged. Uotani draped a hand over her shoulder and asked if anything was wrong, her face unbelieving as Tohru shook her head.

"No…" she said meekly, and shook her head again.

"Nothing at all…"

_Tick._

_Tick._

_Tick._

Tohru stared as the minute hand inched closer to the end of the day. She sighed, the teacher was still trying to convince the class that a small pop quiz next class would be fun, with half the students standing up and waving their fists as they protested. The rest, like Tohru, were in their seats, either ignoring what was going on, or intently watching the show.

The small brunette looked from student to teacher to student until... **_BRIIIIIIIING!!! _**

The loud chime of the bell interrupted and brought an end to the discussion. Tohru slowly closed her textbook, slipping it carefully into her bag. A creamy white piece of paper fluttered out, which she recognized as the invitation to the prom that Hanajima and Uotani had given her earlier that morning. She felt her face heat up as she remembered what Hanajima had said as the paper had been handed over. _We're all supposed come with a date… _

A face flashed in her mind, a shock of orange hair with bright eyes of the same hue, the all-too familiar scowl… Tohru shook her head frantically, trying to clear the image out of her head. The offending piece of paper was shoved non-too-ceremoniously into her bag as she rubbed her cheeks, trying in vain to get rid of the uncomfortable flush.

Giving up, she picked up her bag and walked to the door, just as she was about to step out, a hand grabbed her shoulder, startling her. She whirled around and found herself looking at the owner of the face that had been swirling around in her head just a few minutes ago. Sohma Kyo raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, then asked, "You going home?" Tohru nodded and smiled, and after a bit of hesitation, invited him to join her, "Umm, w-would Kyo-kun like to come t-too?"

Kyo looked surprised, then slipped past her without giving an answer. Tohru felt bewildered and slightly hurt, but then he turned around.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" he frowned at her impatiently, and walked off. Tohru stood there, watching him as her heart pounded. She smiled, then ran to catch up with the orange-haired boy.


	2. Chapter 2

Mitzuki: Hello, welcome to the 2nd chapter!!

Kisa: (looks worried) Uhh, uhh,..hi…??

Mitzuki: (smiles encouragingly and pushes her forward) C'mon, say something!

Kisa: (looks panicky) Uhh, uhh, Mitzu-chan doesn't own Fruits Basket…so…(opens eyes wide in fright)…PLEASE DON'T KILL HER!!! (hides behind Mitzuki)

Mitzuki: -.- " Well, here's Chapter 2!

**Chapter 2 **

Tohru yawned as she scribbled a last sentence on her homework, then turned to look out the window. The sun had set a long time ago, the moon taking its place high in the sky, peeping out from among a cluster of pale grey clouds. Tohru blinked sleepily, and yawned again. She decided it was time to retire for the night, and started to tidy up, but then froze again as she remembered one last task she had neglected to do. She'd forgotten to prepare the ingredients for breakfast!!

In a panic, she rushed downstairs to the kitchen, but was surprised to find the light already on.

In her surprise, Tohru forgot to watch where her feet were landing and slipped on the stairs, crashing into the railings head-first. She rubbed the sore spot on her forehead, quietly moaning in pain. A shadow fell across the doorway, and she looked up to find the previous occupant of the kitchen watching her with concern. Her embarrassment at her own clumsiness increased by a ten-fold as she realized that Kyo had witnessed the whole thing. He walked over and offered his hand to her, she shyly accepted.

"You okay?" Tohru nodded.

"Arigatou, Kyo-kun," she said, then asked curiously, "why are you up at this hour?" A glance at the clock in the hallway had told her it was now 11:00.

Kyo looked uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, then reconsidered and said, "W-well, you're still really weak from the accident and Shigure said you should rest more, so we (referring to him, Yuki and the pervert) decided we should take turns making the lunches…" He looked at her cautiously, watching her reaction, she only seemed mildly shocked, but not hurt, so he continued, "And since the other two can't cook, they pushed the damn job on me…"

Then he paused and looked at her closely, "We already told you to rest more, didn't we? Didn't we tell you yesterday after you came back from the hospital?"

Tohru thought hard, and suddenly remembered.

**_Flashback _**

_"Tohru-kun, my goodness, are you all better? Are you sure you're fine enough to leave the hospital? What did Haa-san say?"_

_Shigure put his hand on the top of Tohru's head, bombarding her with questions._

_The brunette laughed, "Yes, I'm much, much better." _

_Yuki and Kyo watched from the doorway (standing as far away from one another as possible, of course), each silently daring the other to make the first move. Shigure put a hand to his cheek as he looked from cousin to cousin and said dramatically, "Oh, Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun are so C O L D today." Both boys glared menacingly at the perverted baka (idiot) attempting to imitate Ayame. The latter, feigning hurt, took a flustered Tohru by the shoulders, and turned her around, all the while saying, "Let's go for a walk Tohru-kun; Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun are being mean…"_

_The next minute happened in a flash, and all Tohru saw was a blur of orange and silver. The next thing she knew, Shigure had gone from his place at the doorway to lying pitifully in the garden, while Yuki and Kyo maintained the pose of kicking someone off the patio. Tohru looked from one to the other, baffled. Yuki turned around and flashed her a smile._

_"Honda-san," he said as if nothing had happened, "We thought that since you just came back from the hospital, you should take a rest from your chores until you have fully recovered."_

_Tohru protested, "But I HAVE recovered–"_

_"**Until you recover." **Kyo commanded in a voice to which even Tohru was too surprised to argue with. _

_"H-hai…"_

**_End of Flashback_**

Tohru held up a finger as she replayed the scene in her head.

"_Now_ I remember!" she exclaimed and giggled.

Kyo watched her as she laughed, and affectionately knocked her head.

"Silly," he said, and turned back towards the kitchen. Tohru, before she realized what she was doing, reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt, he turned around in surprise. Tohru let go quickly, blushing a deep scarlet and stammered an apology. Kyo shrugged and turned away, but stopped as she called out again. "Wait! Umm, umm, can't I at least help?"

Tohru looked at him pleadingly. Something tugged at the edge of his mouth, but he turned away before Tohru could see.

"Fine," he said in an annoyed voice, but smiled when he heard "Good!" and a pattering steps from behind him as she followed him in to the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Mitzuki: AHHHHHH! Gomen-ne, sorry about not uploading this earlier!!! My editor was busy...XD

Ritsu: Oh no, Mitzuki-san, I should be the one apologizing!!!

Mitzuki: Huh? Why?

Ritsu: Because I made you miss your deeeeeeeeaaadline!!!!

Mitzuki: (looks confused) You did?

Ritsu: Yes! (looks pitiful)

Mitzuki: Well, then we'll apologize together!

Ritsu/Miztuki: WE'RE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRYYY!!!!!

Mitzuki: I don't own Fruits Basket...but enjoy anyways!

Ritsu: (looks alarmed) I'm sorry for keeping you from reading!! (runs away) I'M SOOOOORRRRRYYYY!!!

Mitzuki: (runs after Ritsu) Ritsu!!! COME BACK!!!

**Chapter 3**

Tohru hummed as she helped Shigure set the laundry out to dry and looked up at the clear, blue sky. She smiled at the beautiful scene, and turned to ask Shigure if she could leave.

Shigure laughed, and said in an amused tone, "Why, Tohru-kun, you didn't even have to help! We said you could rest from your chores for a while until you fully recover."

Tohru shook her head. "But watching you and Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun do all the work makes me feel bad! I should be the one doing it! I'm living in your house and eating your food, if I can't pay it off with the money I have now, I should at least be the one to do the household chores!"

Tohru's mouth was set in a straight line, grim with determination, and it was all Shigure could do to keep from laughing out loud. He patted her on the head and announced, "I'll think about it," even though he had absolutely no intention of doing so.

However, the brunette's expression brightened immediately, and she bowed and ran off, thanking Shigure and assuring him that she would be back in an hour or two, if not earlier, to help take down the laundry. He watched in amusement as she raced off towards the trees and disappeared into the forest. A small smile played at his lips as he shook his head and walked into the house.

Tohru ran and ran, searching for the one place she had neglected to visit. She had not been here for awhile, not since she'd gotten home from the hospital, and could now barely remember where the beautiful garden laid.

Suddenly, she stumbled, her clumsy feet tripping over an object that had been left carelessly on the path. Luckily, the soft, mossy dirt cushioned her fall, and she rose again without injury, save for a somewhat sore bottom.

The cause of her fall turned out to have been a book, which she picked up and flipped through curiously, trying to identify who it belonged to. It was a delicate notebook with a creamy cover and handmade pages, and tucked inside those pages were carefully pressed flowers. She fingered one of the flowers gently, awed by its fragility, so beautiful yet so dangerously delicate.

"Ah, so that's where I dropped it."

Tohru turned, startled by the voice, and very nearly dropped the book in her surprise.

"Ah! Ohayo, Yuki-kun!"

"Ohayo, Honda-san."

He smiled at her, then his gaze drifted down to the notebook that she clutched tightly against her chest. She noticed this, and, a bit unsure, asked Yuki if the book belonged to him.

He smiled and nodded, and Tohru quickly handed it over.

"I'm sorry," she said frantically, her face pale, "I didn't know it belonged to Yuki-kun, and I picked it up to see what it was and…"

Yuki looked a bit surprised and told the flustered girl to calm down before she could hurt herself. Perhaps having Ritsu around so often wasn't such a good idea after all…

"I'm not mad," he assured her, then asked, slightly confused, "but Honda-san, why are you here? Were you looking for something?"

Tohru blushed, and said, embarrassed, "W-well, I was looking for Yuki-kun's secret garden, but I haven't been there in a while and kind of lost my way…" She looked at Yuki helplessly, and he couldn't help but laugh at her expression, so much like that of an abashed puppy.

"Then, we'll go together," Yuki decided, "since I'm going there anyways."

Tohru brightened. "Okay!"

"So, the senior prom is coming up, right?"

"Hai."

"Is Honda-san going?"

Tohru paused in her steps, her cheeks reddening as a certain someone's face popped into mind. She shrugged.

"I…I don't know."

Yuki stopped walking and looked at her, contemplating the troubled expression on her face as her gaze trailed downwards. He asked her softly, "Honda-san wants to go with Kyo…right?"

Tohru looked up, startled, and immediately shook her head, "N-no, I…" Her voice died in her throat as Yuki gazed at her, a brow raised quizzically.

"You know, Honda-san, he won't refuse if you ask him," he continued down the path, watching her intently out of the corner of his eye. Tohru shook her head sadly and ran to catch up.

"But…Kyo-kun…doesn't _like_ stuff like this…he would think it was dumb."

Yuki sighed. "That stupid cat," he muttered underneath his breath, and turned towards the saddened girl.

"Honda-san, listen to me."

Tohru looked up again, even more surprised than before. "Y-Yuki-kun…?"

"Kyo will _not_ turn you down."

The serious look on his face made her slightly nervous, and she nodded uncertainly.

"H-hai…"

Yuki smiled and looked into the trees.

"Look, the secret garden!" He pointed out the magnificent paradise of vegetables, fruits and flowers, watching silently as Tohru ran towards it excitedly, taking everything in. She twirled around like a little child, laughing, their previous tense mood vanishing completely, to be replaced by her ecstasy at finally finding the garden.

"Yuki-kun! Come look! Come look at this!"

He smiled and went to join her.


	4. Chapter 4

Mitzuki: Wahh!! It's been two whole months since the last time I updated!! (Cries) I'm sorry!!! (Points at editor) She went on vacation so she wouldn't look over my stories!! Wahh!!

Momiji: Mitzuki? Mitzuki-chan?!!

Mitzuki: (Crying floods) Ah…ah…(Flees the room) RITSU!!!

Momiji: But…but… (Looks uncertain) What was my line again??

Hatori: (Comes into room) Enjoy the story.

Momiji: (Eyes light up) Ooh! Thank you!! (Turns to readers and smiles) Enjoy the chapter!!

Ai-chan (my editor): (Pops in) By the way, she doesn't own Fruits Basket…

Mitzuki: YOU! It's you again!! (Throws brownie)

Ai-chan: (Ducks flying brownie) What?

**Chapter 4**

"Hey! Can you pass the duct tape?"

"I'm going to 7-Eleven, anyone want anything?"

"No, you moron! The DUCT TAPE, not the scotch tape!"

"Coffee for me!"

"Ice tea."

"Ack! The sign is falling!!"

"Oh my god!!"

Tohru looked up from her decorations and watched anxiously as the large group of boys struggled to push the heavy sign back up as it threatened to topple over and squish someone. She knew she had to finish the paper flowers for the dance, and she still had a lot to go, but she really wanted to jump up and give them a hand. They sure looked like they could use it…

She turned away and sighed, staring down at the coloured paper and sparkles. Across from her, Uotani was busy trying to figure out how to stick flowers onto a board without flattening them, judging from the stream of curses she was muttering under her breath, she doesn't seem to have made much progress. Beside her, calmly ignoring the ruckus and her blonde friend, who was now turning quite red in the face as the paper flowers refused to cooperate, was Hanajima, quietly making black flowers and decorating them with black glitter glue.

Tohru sighed again, the pink flower in her hands drooping as she proceeded to stare off into space. Yuki's words still echoed in her mind, the image of his stern gaze burned into her memory.

'_Kyo will not turn you down.'_

Her eyes drifted over to the calendar hanging on the wall, on which many have scribbled cryptic little notes all over, and her heart sank. The dance was in three days, if she didn't make up her mind to ask him today, she would soon lose the courage to even face him. They were seniors for this last week, but as soon as the month ended, they would be on their own to face the world. This would be the last chance for Tohru to get her feelings across to him, if she didn't do so soon, he would leave before she could raise a hand to stop him.

Suddenly remembering their discussion the night before, her lips curved into a slight smile as her mind drifted back…

**_Flashback_**

"_Kyo-kun, what will you do when you finish school?"_

_Kyo looked up from across the kotatsu, meeting Tohru's curious gaze, then hastily lowered his head to stare at his textbook as he thought. _

"_I…really don't know," he said finally, his amber eyes troubled as he remembered his answer to her question a month ago. He had already made up his mind to accept his fate as the cat of the Zodiac back then, when a feeling suddenly swept over him, and a heavy burden seemed to be lifted. Even now, he could still recall the sensation of the curse breaking, like glass shattering, the sharp pieces melting away like ice in the sun. The feeling was something he would never forget, something he would keep all his life, that glorious moment of freedom, of chains falling away after long years of imprisonment. _

_Soft brown eyes contemplated him, wide and alert, shining affectionately as she watched him fidget with his pencil. A comfortable silence filled the room, stretching and curling up like a friendly cat, as both of them wandered in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Kyo's pencil tripped on its way around his finger, flying across the table, and narrowly avoided hitting an unsuspecting Tohru. Kyo swore quietly, breaking the tranquil atmosphere in the room, and got up to retrieve his pencil. But Tohru was there a step ahead of him and laughing, handed him the pencil. "Maybe you could be a writer, like Shigure-san," she suggested innocently. The look that Kyo shot her had her in giggles, along with the thought of him with glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, as he typed on the computer. _

_Kyo shot back, "And you can be a secretary."_

_This made Tohru laugh even harder, she shook her head helplessly and said between giggles, "I would be too scatter-brained for a job like that!"_

_This time, Kyo joined in the laughter, and the two traded weird jobs and laughed the entire afternoon. _

**_End of Flashback_**

Tohru giggled quietly to herself, shaking her head as she recalled various jokes they had shared that day. With a sigh, she went back to working on her neglected pink flower. Beside her, having finally gotten the stupid flowers to stick on the board without looking like they had been run over, Uotani watched her friend carefully out of the corner of her eye. Trading a look with Hanajima, who had also sensed that something was off, she put a hand on Tohru's arm. "You ok?"

The brunette looked up at her, startled, "Ah, yes! I'm fine, Uo-chan."

Uotani looked at her dubiously, but backed off all the same, "Ok then…" Tohru flashed her a smile, and dipped her head to work on her flower. She sighed again, inwardly this time; she would have to reach out her hand and grab hold of her dream, before it slowly and gently slipped from her grasp and never came back.


	5. Chapter 5

Mitzuki: Ah, sorry for the slow update...I had most of it typed up, but Ai-chan was...UNSATIISFIED with the ending so...(hands you a chocolate bar) Please enjoy this while you read the chapter. And we have Machi-san this time…(looks at Machi)

Machi: …

Mitzuki: …

Machi: ……

Mitzuki: ……Hey! Is this a silent contest or what?!! Say something, Machi!!

Machi: …Mitzuki doesn't own Fruits Basket…

Mitzuki: …Yeah…

Machi: …and she loses the silent contest.

Mitzuki: Hey:( That's not fair!!

Machi: (Remains emotionless while smirking inside)

**Chapter 5**

Tohru looked around the table, confused to only see Yuki and Shigure.

"Where's Kyo-kun?" she asked worriedly, thinking maybe he hadn't heard her call about dinner.

Shigure shrugged, and Yuki looked up, surprised, finally noticing the absence of their loudest member. No wonder he'd found it to be unusually quiet in the house.

Tohru started to stand, "I-I'll go look for him!"

"Honda-san, I'm guessing the stupid ca– I mean, Kyo, is on the roof again, and wants a little peace and quiet, so we shouldn't disturb him."

Tohru was startled at the comment, it wasn't often that Yuki would be so considerate towards Kyo.

Yuki shrugged, and turned back to his soup. "It's his own fault if he starves to death."

Ah. Tohru sighed and picked up her chopsticks. They weren't ever going to change, were they? Well, she'd keep hoping, for both of them. After all, miracles _do _happen…

The water from the sink started to spill onto the counter as Tohru looked up at the ceiling for the 53rd time. She was doing the dishes with Yuki, even though it was supposed to be Kyo's turn today, but her mind refused to concentrate on the task at hand, as it wrapped itself around an idea that had started to form.

Yuki dried and stacked the last dish quietly, then left the room without a word, knowing Tohru was planning something he should not interfere with. After all, he had his own girl already. Smiling, he thought of her, with her light brown hair, similar to that of Tohru's, and her emotion-less eyes that lit up when she saw him…

"Kyo-kun?"

Kyo's head jerked up, as he recognized immediately the soft voice. He quickly folded the piece of paper he'd been staring at and stuffed it in his pocket, just as a brown head popped into view. Tohru's soft eyes shone with worry and in her hand she carried a plate of onigiri (riceballs), filled with salmon, his favourite. Kyo flushed red, pleasantly surprised that she remembered he was up here and had bothered to bring him food, since he'd skipped dinner.

He looked away, like he didn't care, and said in a bored voice, "I'm not hungry." Even though his stomach had long since started protesting. Tohru looked crestfallen, but she smiled and nodded, "Okay."

Kyo watched in alarm as she started to climb back down, carrying the precious plate of food further away from his reach. He'd miscalculated, he'd thought she would at least leave the plate so he could eat it once she left, since when did she give up so easily in making him eat anyways?!

The plate danced before his eyes, showing off the plump onigiri, taunting him. Finally, he gave in, and, ignoring his stomach's smug cheering, he called out, "Wait!"

The floating plate paused in the air, then the brown head popped up again. Kyo cleared his throat, "But…maybe a small bite wouldn't hurt…"

Tohru smiled, then proceeded to clamber up the ladder again and sit next to Kyo on the roof. She offered him the plate of onigiri, her face heating up as his hand accidentally brushed hers. She was glad for the dark, since the red of her cheeks could've probably rivalled that of Rudolph's nose by then. 'Stay focused!' she scolded herself. She had a plan in mind tonight, and she was determined to act on it, even if it kills her. Which, it just might.

Kyo watched her as she stared out into the horizon, her silky brown hair blowing slightly in the cool night air. Her face was set in an adorable look of determination, which, though it probably meant trouble, was still irresistibly cute nevertheless.

His hand hovered in midair as he reached for the last onigiri left on the plate. He snuck another glance at the brunette, and his heart lurched painfully. Tohru's lips formed a small smile, and Kyo longed to hold her tight, to tell her things he never had the courage to say, to make her his, even for just a moment.

_'Will you accept me, Tohru? Do you have another place in your heart for someone else? I want you to say yes; I want to be with you, and only you forever.'_

A/N

Ummm… sorry that Kyo is a bit out of character at the end…I ran out of ideas… -.-" Thank you for all your reviews!! I cry with joy to know so many people are enjoying my fanfics, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!


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